NIN verification for employers: what it proves and what it does not

1What a NIN check tells an employer

The National Identification Number is the number attached to a person's record with the national identity authority. Checking it answers one question well: does the identity record behind this number match the person in front of me?

A check returns the name and date of birth held on the record, so you can compare them with what the applicant wrote. That comparison is the whole value. It rules out the most common problem in Nigerian hiring, which is not a criminal past - it is a person who is not the person they claimed to be.

2Why a NIN slip on its own proves very little

Employers routinely collect a photograph of a slip and file it. A slip is a printout. It can be edited, borrowed from a relative, or belong to someone with a similar name. Nothing about holding it proves the holder is its owner.

The check that matters looks up the record behind the number and compares it. That is a different act from collecting a document, and it is the reason a filed photocopy gives false comfort.

3You need consent, and it should be specific

Looking someone up is processing their personal data. Ask first, say what you are checking, and keep a time-stamped record of their agreement. A blanket line buried in an offer letter is weak; a specific yes to a specific check is strong.

Hirably will not run any check until the worker has agreed through their own private link, and the agreement is recorded against the case. The detail is in our consent statement.

Never share someone's identity number around your office, and do not keep it where it does not need to be. We store what is needed to evidence the check and no more.

4Mismatches worth pausing on

• A different surname. Common after marriage and completely innocent - but ask, and note the answer.
• A different date of birth. Sometimes an old registration error. Sometimes not.
• No record found. Usually a wrong digit. Confirm the number and try once.
• A record that matches nothing the applicant told you. Stop and ask directly.

Do not run the same check repeatedly hoping for a better answer. Each attempt costs money and the answer will not change unless the information you feed it changes. Correct the detail, then try again - that is why our repeat of a single check costs only that check, not the whole set.

5What it does not tell you

An identity check is not a criminal record check, an employment history, a credit report or proof of address. It confirms identity, and identity is only the foundation.

Build on it in this order: where they live, who will stand behind them, and whether their last job was real. That sequence is set out in the background check guide, and what each Hirably package includes is on the pricing page.